It is a fact that more and more attention is being focused on preventative health care and more particularly on preventative dental health care. Recently, consumers have been provided with advanced products such as periodontal tipped tooth brushed, plaque reducing mouth rinses, specially formulated tartar control tooth pastes, and magnetically enhanced oral irrigators. The thrust of these products has been to remove residue from teeth to prevent bacteria build-up that has been linked to tooth decay and tooth loss. Moreover, the subject of gum disease has been receiving more and more attention, and consumer products associated with treating conditions of the gums have also been increasing.
There is, however, a noticeable absence of products directed towards the infant and elderly population. This segment of the population can be characterized as those persons who do not have exposed teeth or have lost a significant portion or all of their teeth. Many of these persons are unable to care for themselves. Consequently, the predominant concern for these individuals relates to gum care, care that must often times be rendered by other persons. In these situations, health and care of the gums and surrounding tissue is primary concern.
Unfortunately for these people, most currently avaiable devices are ill suited for their special needs. For example, persons without teeth have little need for periodontal equipped tooth brushes let alone tooth brushes. Nor do they have a need for plaque reducing mouth rinses, tartar control tooth pastes, oral irrigators, dental floss, etc. The principle concern is the removal of food debris and bacteria from the gum and inner lip areas to prevent undesired bacteria buildup which could lead to an elevated risk of gum and bone damage.
In some situations, simply rinsing the mouth will remove much of the debris and bacteria from a person's mouth. However, very small children or mentally and/or physically challenged persons may be incapable of rinsing and expelling a mouth rinsing fluid. But because many persons, including the very young and the physically disabled, are incapable of rinsing, the predominant form of oral hygiene involves assisted physical removal of debris and bacteria.
In the field of assisted oral hygiene, a preferred method used to remove debris and bacteria from the oral cavity has utilized swab type devices. An example of such a device is a sponge for medical, dental or surgical use as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. D. 206,641. These devices can absorb large quantities of fluid. They also keep the hand distant from the fluid source. While these devices can remove debris and bacteria, they are generally awkward and often bulky when used and wasteful when disposed of. Moreover, such devices have limited articulation, an important consideration in the dental field where proper and efficacious cleaning involves considerable probing into pockets and crevices that are not easily accessible when using a rigid device. And perhaps most importantly, these devices provide minimal tactile feedback. Tactile feed back is extremely important when probing or cleaning sensitive areas in the mouth, such as those of infants, the elderly, or any person having inflamed tissue therein.
As a partial response to this need, some individuals in the health and/or dental care profession have taken gauze pads and loosely wrapped them around their finger. The gauze wrapped finger was then inserted into the mouth to remove debris therefrom. After use, the gauze was conveniently disposed of. This method combined the advantages of using an articulated and touch sensitive implement, with the advantages of using a sterile and absorbent media that could be easily disposed of.
However, the gauze over the finger adaptation was not without limitations. The gauze pads would often come loose from the finger. Moreover, fluids from the mouth would often permeate to the finger. Exposure of skin, possibly having an open cut or the like, with mucous or body fluids is presently of great concern in light of potential viral infections such as those caused by the HIV virus, or the like. In addition, removal of the gauze pads, if they didn't become detached during use, would require grasping them--a practice which again exposed the surface of an otherwise unprotected finger to body fluids.
From the foregoing, it is equally clear that the absorption of fluids and removal of debris is not limited to the field of dentistry and oral hygiene. The medical field also has similar needs and problems. Removal of debris from cuts near a bone is often accomplished by grasping a gauze pad by hand or by instrument and probing the injured area. However, often times debris (and bacteria) are forced into the surrounding tissue. A gauze pad held between a finger and thumb is often too large to probe these areas; a gauze pad held by an instrument lacks tactile sensitivity Therefore, a need exists to have an implement that combines the benefits of a gauze wrapped finger with the benefits of a swab type device.